To crack the uncrackable book . . . . To tame the untamable tome . . . . As a screenwriter, Steve Zaillian seems to rather casually approach and conquer quests that others find downright quixotic. His reputation has been built on a series of big-screen adaptations of difficult nonfiction books, including Oliver Sacks' "Awakenings" and Robert Lindsay's "The Falcon and the Snowman."

The ingredients all seemed to be there for Oscar-winning director-screenwriter Steve Zaillian. He had a cast of heavy hitters -- Sean Penn, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Anthony Hopkins for starters -- and a classic story in Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "All the King's Men." But when Zaillian's version of Warren's 1946 story of political corruption and personal betrayal hit the nation's movie screens Sept. 22, it played to mostly empty theaters, drawing only $3.

The elusiveness of truth is an idea woven throughout the movie "A Civil Action," which chronicles the real-life legal battle waged by eight Boston-area families against two corporations they held responsible for their children's deaths. Robert Duvall, who plays a lawyer for one of the accused companies, insists that truth can only be found "at the bottom of a bottomless pit."

The elusiveness of truth is an idea woven throughout the movie "A Civil Action," which chronicles the real-life legal battle waged by eight Boston-area families against two corporations they held responsible for their children's deaths. Robert Duvall, who plays a lawyer for one of the accused companies, insists that truth can only be found "at the bottom of a bottomless pit."

The ingredients all seemed to be there for Oscar-winning director-screenwriter Steve Zaillian. He had a cast of heavy hitters -- Sean Penn, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Anthony Hopkins for starters -- and a classic story in Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "All the King's Men." But when Zaillian's version of Warren's 1946 story of political corruption and personal betrayal hit the nation's movie screens Sept. 22, it played to mostly empty theaters, drawing only $3.

Sony's Columbia Pictures has shelved a planned December release of its highly anticipated remake of "All the King's Men," removing one of the studio's potential Oscar contenders. The release will likely be delayed about a year, said Michael Medavoy, chairman of Phoenix Films, which is producing the remake of the movie based on Robert Penn Warren's 1946 classic roman a clef about Louisiana politician Huey Long.

THE third time turned out to be the charm for "American Gangster." The thriller had fallen apart twice at Universal before production eventually began last year. When it was last canceled in 2005 because of cost concerns, Oscar-winning producer Brian Grazer ("A Beautiful Mind") says, he had to "gather the energy" to revive the project. "It was so much harder than anything I have tried to do in my professional life," he says of the film.

As Steven Spielberg continues to take his time pondering his follow-up to 2012's "Lincoln," the director has added another movie project to his plate, the religious drama "The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara," according to a Variety report. Spielberg plans to produce and may direct "Edgardo Mortara," which would be a co-production between DreamWorks and the Weinstein Co., but it will not be his next project, the report says . Based on David Kertzer's nonfiction book, the film will tell the true story of an Italian Jewish boy who in 1858 was taken from his parents by authorities in the Papal States and raised as a Catholic; he later became an Augustinian priest. Tony Kushner, who wrote the screenplays for Spielberg's previous historical dramas "Lincoln" and "Munich," is in the early stages of adapting the book. BEST MOVIES OF 2013: Turan | Sharkey | Olsen News of the project once again raises the question of when Spielberg will get back behind the camera, and for which film.

IT was surprising to read that Steve Zaillian, the writer and director of "All the King's Men," was shocked that his movie took a giant flop at the box office ["A 'King'-Sized Collapse," by Scott Martelle, Oct. 3]. Frankly, I can give him a few reasons: no character development; a superficial, confusing story line; and the unforgettable miscasting of Sean Penn as Gov. Willie Stark. JACK WOLF Westwood THE reason I did not go see "All the King's Men" is simple: Why spend $10 to see a remake of a movie that already won the Academy Award for best picture?

To crack the uncrackable book . . . . To tame the untamable tome . . . . As a screenwriter, Steve Zaillian seems to rather casually approach and conquer quests that others find downright quixotic. His reputation has been built on a series of big-screen adaptations of difficult nonfiction books, including Oliver Sacks' "Awakenings" and Robert Lindsay's "The Falcon and the Snowman."

The authors and screenwriters of "Captain Phillips," "Philomena," "The Spectacular Now," "12 Years a Slave" and "What Maisie Knew" have been nominated for the 26th USC Libraries Scripter Award. Unlike other feature film awards, the Scripter Award honors both the screenwriter or screenwriters of an adaptation, as well as the author on which the screenplay is based. The nominees announced Thursday morning are: "Captain Phillips": Billy Ray, screenwriter; Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty, authors of "A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea. " GOLDEN GLOBES 2014: Play-at-home ballot "Philomena": Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, screenwriters; Martin Sixsmith, author of "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee. " "The Spectacular Now": Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, screenwriters; Tim Tharp, author of the novel of the same name.

Movies "Stepmom" features Susan Sarandon (above, left, with Julia Roberts) in a domestic comedy-drama from director Chris Columbus about a family dealing with the fallout from a divorce. Ed Harris plays Sarandon's ex-husband and Roberts' current boyfriend. It opens in general release Friday.